Motor driver with multipurpose pin

ABSTRACT

In an embodiment, a motor driver comprises a multipurpose pin operable to couple the motor driver to a controller and judgment logic coupled to the multipurpose pin. The motor driver is operable to receive an input signal via the multipurpose pin and may be operable in a normal operation mode or a setting operation mode. The judgment logic may be operable to detect whether a prescribed pattern is present in the input signal, wherein the prescribed pattern indicates one of the normal operation mode or the setting operation mode, control at least a portion of the motor driver to operate in the setting operation mode when the prescribed pattern is detected in the input signal, and control at least the portion of the motor driver to operate in the normal operation mode when the prescribed pattern is not detected in the input signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/368,949, filed Jul. 29, 2016 by Takashi HARASHIMA, etal. and entitled “MULTI-FUNCTION FREQUENCY GENERATION PIN,” the entiretyof which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

A motor driver couples to a motor to provide one or more control signalsto the motor to control operation of the motor. To provide the controlssignals to the motor, and to receive feedback related to the motor, themotor driver may include a plurality of pins. More pins on the motordriver may result in a larger physical size of the motor driver,increased complexity of the motor driver, or increased manufacturingcost of the motor driver.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a motor driver comprises a multipurpose pin operableto couple the motor driver to a controller and judgment logic coupled tothe multipurpose pin. The motor driver is operable to receive an inputsignal via the multipurpose pin and may be operable in a normaloperation mode or a setting operation mode. The judgment logic may beoperable to detect whether a prescribed pattern is present in the inputsignal, wherein the prescribed pattern indicates one of the normaloperation mode or the setting operation mode, control at least a portionof the motor driver to operate in the setting operation mode when theprescribed pattern is detected in the input signal, and control at leastthe portion of the motor driver to operate in the normal operation modewhen the prescribed pattern is not detected in the input signal.

In another embodiment, a system comprises a motor driver operable tocouple to a motor and drive the motor and a controller coupled to themotor driver and operable to control the motor driver. The motor drivermay comprise a multipurpose pin, may be operable to receive input fromthe controller via the multipurpose pin during a setting operation modeof the motor driver, and may be operable to output a frequency generator(FG) signal to the controller via the multipurpose pin during a normaloperation mode of the motor driver.

In yet another embodiment, a method comprising beginning, by judgmentlogic of a motor driver, mode judgment, determining, by the judgmentlogic, whether a predetermined period of time for performing modejudgment has occurred, detecting whether a prescribed signal comprisingan indication of an operation mode for the motor driver is included inan input signal received by the motor driver, and determining theoperation mode of the motor driver according to whether the prescribedsignal comprising the indication of the operation mode for the motordriver is detected in the input signal received by the motor driver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

There are disclosed in the drawings and in the following descriptionvarious embodiments for a motor driver with a multipurpose pin. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system implementing a motor driver inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of judgment logic in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an interface and logic circuit inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a table of input and output signal relationships in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for motor driver operation modeselection in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for motor driver operation modejudgment in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of another method for motor driver operation modejudgment in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another method for motor driver operation modejudgment in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another method for motor driver operation modejudgment in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another method for motor driver operation modejudgment in accordance with various embodiments.

It should be understood, however, that the specific embodiments given inthe drawings and detailed description thereto do not limit thedisclosure. On the contrary, they provide the foundation for one ofordinary skill to discern the alternative forms, equivalents, andmodifications that are encompassed together with one or more of thegiven embodiments in the scope of the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are embodiments that provide for multi-functionalserial control of a motor driver using a single multipurpose pin of anelectrical component package of the motor driver. The electricalcomponent package may at least partially contain the motor driver andmay include one or more pins (including, for example, the singlemultipurpose pin) as electrically conductive paths for coupling devicesoutside of the electrical component package to the motor driver. Themotor driver may be at least partially contained within the electricalcomponent package. The motor driver may be operable to couple to otherdevices such as a motor that may be driven by the motor driver and/or acontroller that may control at least some operations and/or functions ofthe motor driver. In some embodiments, the motor driver may be operableto, via the multipurpose pin, output a FG signal and input (or output)serial data for storing data to the motor driver (or reading data fromthe motor driver). In some embodiments, the motor driver may be furtheroperable to, via the multipurpose pin, determine a mode of operation forthe motor driver desired by a controller coupled to the motor driver viathe multipurpose pin. Enabling the motor driver to perform multipleoperations via the single multipurpose pin may improve over prior artmotor drivers by reducing a size of the motor driver or of theelectrical component package, reducing a power consumption of the motordriver, reducing a manufacturing cost for manufacturing the motordriver, and/or providing increased flexibility in implementing the motordriver to control a motor.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of a system 100 implementinga motor driver 105 in accordance with various embodiments is shown. Themotor driver 105 may be coupled to, or may be operable to couple to, acontroller 110, a motor (not shown), and one or more other components(not shown) that may receive output from, or provide input to, the motordriver 105. In at least some embodiments, the motor driver 105 may becoupled to the controller 110 via a multipurpose pin 115. Themultipurpose pin 115 may enable the motor driver to receive input (e.g.,such as serial data) from the controller 110 and provide an output tothe controller 110. In some embodiments, the multipurpose pin 115 may bereferred to as a FG pin. The multipurpose pin 115 (and correspondingly,the motor driver 105) may be described as having a normal operation modeand a setting operation mode. The motor driver 105 may determine whetherthe multipurpose pin 115 should operate in the normal operation mode orthe setting operation mode at least partially based on whether aprescribed signal is received at the multipurpose pin 115 within aperiod of time allotted for receipt of a mode control signal. The periodof time allotted for receipt of a mode control signal may, for example,begin and extend from a time at which the motor driver transitions froma powered-off state to a powered-on state.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motor driver 105 may comprise transistor 120,inverter 125, judgment logic 130, interface 135, memory 140, FG logic145, multiplexer 150, and logic circuit 155. In various embodiments, themotor driver 105 may further comprise one or more other elements (notshown) that may be operable to enable driving of the motor by the motordriver 105 (for example, by receiving and/or processing input,processing and/or transmitting output, etc.). In some embodiments, theinverter 125 may couple an input of the judgment logic 130 and theinterface 135 to the multipurpose pin 115. An output of the multiplexer150 may be further coupled to the multipurpose pin 115 via thetransistor 120. The transistor 120, in some embodiments (such as shownin FIG. 1), may be a field effect transistor (FET) configured in anopen-drain configuration in which a drain terminal of the transistor 120is coupled to the multipurpose pin 115, a source terminal of thetransistor 120 is coupled to a ground voltage potential, and a gateterminal of the transistor 120 is coupled to an output of themultiplexer 150. In other embodiments, the transistor 120 may be of anysuitable construction or style and may be configured according to anysuitable configuration.

In some embodiments, the interface 135 may be further coupled to thememory 140, logic circuit 155, judgment logic 130, and to a signal inputof the multiplexer 150. The memory 140 may be coupled to the interface135 and the logic circuit 155. The judgment logic 130 may be furthercoupled to the logic circuit 155, a control input of the multiplexer150, and the FG logic 145. The FG logic 145 may be further coupled tothe logic circuit 155 and a signal input of the multiplexer 150.

As discussed above, in various embodiments the motor driver 105 mayinclude at least a normal operation mode and a setting operation mode.Operation in the normal operation mode or the setting operation mode maybe signaled to the motor driver 105 at least via the multipurpose pin115 (e.g., signaled by the controller 110). In some embodiments, thesignaling may be indicated by receipt of the prescribed signal (e.g., asignal having a prescribed pattern or sequence of bits) by the motordriver 105 via the multipurpose pin 115. The judgment logic 130 maydetermine whether the prescribed signal is included in any signalingreceived by the motor driver 105 via the multipurpose pin 115. Forexample, the judgment logic 130 may monitor the multipurpose pin 115 forinput within a predetermined period of time following powering on of themotor driver 105 and/or the system 100. The predetermined period of timemay be, for example, about 5 milliseconds (ms), about 7 ms, about 10 ms,or any other suitable time period that allows for receipt of theprescribed signal and that may be determined according to a particularconstruction of an electrical circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit) thatincludes the motor driver 105.

When the judgment logic 130 determines that the prescribed signal ispresent in an input signal received by the motor driver 105 at themultipurpose pin 115 during the predetermined period of time, thejudgment logic 130 may output a setting mode enable signal. In someembodiments, the setting mode enable signal may indicate to at least oneother component in the motor driver 105 that the motor driver 105 is tooperate in the setting operation mode. When the motor driver 105operates in the setting operation mode, the interface 135 may receiveinput from the multipurpose pin 115 via the inverter 125 such that avalue of the input when received at the interface 135 is an inverse of avalue of the input when received at the multipurpose pin 115. Theinterface 135, in some embodiments, may provide the input received fromthe inverter 125 to the memory 140 for storage by the memory 140 asstored data. The stored data may be, in some embodiments, an output dutycycle (e.g., a pulse width modulation (PWM) duty cycle), a minimumspeed, a soft start (e.g., gradual start) time, a soft switch width, alock protection time, a tachometer selection signal, a lock detectionsignal, or other configurable features or functions of the motor driver105 or relating to operation of the motor to which the motor driver 105is coupled. In some embodiments, the interface 135 may further providethe input received by the interface 135 to the logic circuit 155 (e.g.,as serial data) for use by the logic circuit, for example, for trialdriving of the motor.

In some embodiments, the logic circuit 155 may read the stored data fromthe memory 140 and output the stored data back to the controller 110 viathe multipurpose pin 115 for verification that the stored data iscorrect (e.g., such that the data was not altered or corrupted from anintended value in the storing process). For example, the logic circuit155 may read the stored data from the memory 140 and transmit the storeddata to the interface 135. In other embodiments, the interface 135 mayread the stored data from the memory 140 and output the stored data backto the controller 110 via the multipurpose pin 115 in addition to, or inplace of, the logic circuit 155. The interface 135 may transmit thestored data to the multiplexer 150 for output to the controller 110 viathe multipurpose pin 115 and transistor 120. In some embodiments, thecontrol input of the multiplexer 150 may be coupled to the judgmentlogic 130 such that the setting mode enable signal output by thejudgment logic 130 controls selection of an input of the multiplexer 150for output by the multiplexer 150. For example, when the setting modeenable signal is high (e.g., the motor driver 105 is in the settingoperation mode) the multiplexer 150 may output an input received fromthe interface 135 (e.g., such as the stored data as discussed above).

When the judgment logic 130 determines that the prescribed signal is notpresent in the input signal received by the motor driver 105 at themultipurpose pin 115 during the predetermined period of time, thejudgment logic 130 may output a normal mode enable signal. In someembodiments, the normal mode enable signal may indicate to at least oneother component in the motor driver 105 that the motor driver 105 is tooperate in the normal operation mode. When the motor driver 105 operatesin the normal operation mode, the FG logic 145 may receive input fromthe logic circuit 155 and provide an output at least partially based onthe received input to the multiplexer 150 for output via themultipurpose pin 115 and transistor 120. The output, in someembodiments, may provide information about a state of the motor coupledto the motor driver 105. For example, the output may indicate arotational state of the motor.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of the judgment logic 130 inaccordance with various embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, thejudgment logic 130 may comprise an edge detector 210, a timer circuit220, a period counter 230, an edge frequency counter 240, a patterndetector 250, and a signal generator 260. The judgment logic 130 may becoupled to the logic circuit 155 and may receive a judgment start signalfrom the logic circuit 155. The judgment start signal, in someembodiments, indicates to the judgment logic 130 (and correspondingly,to the timer circuit 220, period counter 230, edge frequency counter240, and pattern detector 250) to begin determining whether theprescribed signal is received by the judgment logic 130 within thepredetermined period of time. When the timer circuit 220 receives thejudgment start signal from the logic circuit 155, the timer circuit 220may initiate a timer or a counter (e.g., a timer beginning at apredetermined time and counting down to zero or a timer beginning atzero and counting up to the predetermined time) to enable the judgmentlogic 130 to determine whether the prescribed signal is received withinthe predetermined time. When the timer circuit 220 determines that thepredetermined time has expired (e.g., when the timer reaches zero or thepredetermined time), the timer circuit 220 may output a timeout signalto the pattern detector 250 indicating that the predetermined time hasexpired. The timeout signal, in some embodiments, may indicate to thepattern detector 250 to cease detecting whether the prescribed signal isreceived by the judgment logic 130 until the pattern detector 250receives another judgment start signal.

The judgment logic 130 may receive input from the inverter 125 at theedge detector 210. The input may be, for example, a multi-bit binarysignal such that the signal includes positive edges (transitions from abinary “0” or low to a binary “1” or high) and negative edges(transitions from a binary “1” or high to a binary “0” or low). Based onthe input, the edge detector 210 may determine whether the edge of thesignal is a positive edge (e.g., a rising edge) or a negative edge(e.g., a falling edge). The edge detector 210 may provide an outputindicating whether a positive edge or a negative edge is detected in theinput to the period counter 230, edge frequency counter 240, and thepattern detector 250. The period counter 230, in some embodiments, maybegin a counter or timer upon receipt of a signal indicating a detectedpositive edge in the input received by the judgment logic 130. When theperiod counter 230 receives a signal indicating a detected negative edgein the input received by the judgment logic 130, the period counter 230may stop the counter or timer and provide a count value or time of theperiod of the input received by the judgment logic 130 to the patterndetector 250.

The edge frequency counter 240 may count a frequency of edge changes inthe input received by the judgment logic 130. For example, when the edgefrequency counter 240 receives the judgment start signal, the edgefrequency counter 240 may reset a count value to zero. The edgefrequency counter 240 may then begin incrementing the count value by 1for each signal received by the edge frequency counter 240 indicating adetected positive edge or negative edge in the input received by thejudgment logic 130. The pattern detector 250 may receive the judgmentstart signal, timeout signal, count value or time of the period, andedge frequency count and, from receipt of the judgment start signaluntil receipt of the timeout signal, may determine whether theprescribed signal is received by the judgment logic 130. The patterndetector 250 may perform the determination or detection at leastpartially according to the count value or time of the period and theedge frequency count. When the prescribed pattern is detected within thepredetermined period of time, the pattern detector 250 may provide asignal to the signal generator 260 indicating that the prescribedpattern has been detected. When the prescribed pattern is not detectedwithin the predetermined period of time, the pattern detector 250 mayprovide a signal to the signal generator 260 indicating that theprescribed pattern has not been detected. Based on the signals receivedfrom the pattern detector 250, the signal generator 260 may generate andoutput the setting mode enable signal and/or the normal mode enablesignal.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a schematic diagram of the interface 135 andlogic circuit 155 in accordance with various embodiments is shown. Insome embodiments, the interface 135 may include a trial driving enablesignal generator 310. In some embodiments, the logic circuit 155 mayinclude a conventional driving enable signal generator 320, a drivingsignal generator 330, and an enable signal controller 340. The enablesignal controller 340, in some embodiments, may comprise a plurality ofdigital logic AND gates 342 and a digital logic OR gate 344. When theinterface 135 receives an input signal from the inverter 125 of FIG. 1and the motor driver 105 is operating in the setting operation mode, thetrial driving enable generator may generate a trial driving enablesignal at least partially based on the input signal received from theinverter 125 and may provide the trial driving enable signal to theenable signal controller 340. In an embodiment, the conventional drivingenable signal generator 320 may generate a conventional driving enablesignal and provide the conventional driving enable signal to the enablesignal controller 340. In an embodiment, the enable signal controller340 may further receive the setting mode enable signal and normal modeenable signal from the judgment logic 130. Each of the signals receivedby the enable signal controller 340 may be a binary signal and theenable signal controller 340 may generate a final driving enable signalaccording to the AND gates 342 and OR gate 344. FIG. 4 illustrates atable of input and output signal relationships for the enable signalcontroller 340 in accordance with various embodiments. Returning to FIG.3, the enable signal controller 340 may provide the final driving enablesignal to the driving signal generator 330 and the driving signalgenerator may generate a driving signal for output by the logic circuit155 to control a motor.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a flowchart of a method 500 for motor driveroperation mode selection in accordance with various embodiments isshown. The method 500 may be implemented, for example, by the motordriver 105 (e.g., at least partially via the judgment logic 130) todetermine and/or select an operation mode (e.g., normal operation modeor setting operation mode) for the motor driver 105. At operation 505,when the motor driver 105 has been powered on (e.g., either power hasbeen turned on when it was previously off or the motor driver 105 isrestarted), the motor driver 105 proceeds to operation 510. When themotor driver has not been powered on, the method 500 remains atoperation 505.

At operation 510, the motor driver 105 begins mode judgment. Forexample, the motor driver 105 may begin the mode judgment bytransmitting a judgment start signal to one or more components of themotor driver 105 as discussed above with reference to FIG. 2. In someembodiments, the mode judgment may be performed by the judgment logic130 of the motor driver 105. In some embodiments, the mode judgment maycontinue for about 5 ms, about 7 ms, about 10 ms, or any other suitabletime period that allows for receipt of the prescribed signal and thatmay be determined according to a particular construction of anelectrical circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit) that includes the motordriver 105. The judgment start signal may be transmitted, in someembodiments, from the logic circuit 155 of the motor driver 105 to thejudgment logic 130 of the motor driver 105. When the motor driver 105has been powered off after beginning mode judgment, at operation 515 themethod 500 returns to operation 505. When the motor driver 105 has notbeen powered off after beginning mode judgment, at operation 515 themethod 500 proceeds to operation 520.

At operation 520, the method 500 determines whether mode judgment hasended. For example, mode judgment may end at the expiration of apredetermined period of time, as discussed above with reference to FIG.2. When the mode judgment has ended, either after receipt of theprescribed signal or without receipt of the prescribed signal, themethod 500 proceeds to operation 525. When the mode judgment has notended, the method 500 returns to operation 515. At operation 525, themethod 500 determines (e.g., via at least the judgment logic 130)whether the prescribed signal has been detected in input received by themotor driver 105. When the prescribed signal has been detected, themethod 500 proceeds to operation 530. When the prescribed signal has notbeen detected, the method 500 proceeds to operation 535.

At operation 530, the motor driver 105 enters the setting operationmode. For example, after the judgment logic 130 has determined that theprescribed signal has been detected at operation 525, at operation 530the judgment logic 130 may transmit a setting mode enable signal to oneor more components of the motor driver 105 to instruct the one or morecomponents to operate in the setting operation mode. When the motordriver 105 has been powered off after entering the setting operationmode, at operation 540 the method 500 returns to operation 505. When themotor driver 105 has not been powered off after entering the settingoperation mode, at operation 540 the method 500 returns to operation540.

At operation 535 the motor driver 105 enters the normal operation mode.For example, after the judgment logic 130 has determined that theprescribed signal has not been detected at operation 525, at operation535 the judgment logic 130 may transmit a normal mode enable signal toone or more components of the motor driver 105 to instruct the one ormore components to operate in the normal operation mode. When the motordriver 105 has been powered off after entering the normal operationmode, at operation 545 the method 500 returns to operation 505. When themotor driver 105 has not been powered off after entering the normaloperation mode, the method 500 remains at operation 545.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a flowchart of a method 600 for motor driveroperation mode judgment in accordance with various embodiments is shown.The method 600 may be implemented, for example, by the judgment logic130 to determine an operation mode (e.g., normal operation mode orsetting operation mode) for the motor driver 105 according to an inputsignal received by the motor driver 105.

At operation 605, the judgment logic 130 begins mode judgment. Forexample, in response to receipt of a judgment start signal (e.g., suchas a judgment start signal received from logic circuit 155, as discussedabove), the judgment logic 130 may begin determining whether theprescribed signal has been (or is currently being) received by thejudgment logic 130 (and correspondingly, the motor driver 105). Atoperation 610, the judgment logic 130 determines whether the end of apredetermined period of time for detecting whether the prescribed signalhas been received (or for performing mode judgment) has occurred. Thepredetermined period of time may be a period of time of about 5 ms,about 7 ms, about 10 ms, or any other suitable time period that allowsfor receipt of the prescribed signal and that may be determinedaccording to a particular construction of an electrical circuit (e.g.,an integrated circuit) that includes the motor driver 105.

When the end of the predetermined period of time for detecting whetherthe prescribed signal has been received has occurred, the method 600proceeds to operation 625. At operation 625, the judgment logic 130determines that the prescribed signal has not been received and themethod 600 proceeds to operation 635. Returning to operation 610, whenthe end of the predetermined period of time for detecting whether theprescribed signal has been received has not occurred, the method 600proceeds to operation 615. At operation 615, the judgment logic 130determines whether the prescribed signal has been detected in inputreceived by the judgment logic 130. When the prescribed signal has beendetected, the method 600 proceeds to operation 620. When the prescribedsignal has not been detected, the method 600 returns to operation 610.

At operation 620, the judgment logic 130 determines that the prescribedsignal has been detected during the predetermined time period. In someembodiments, the prescribed signal may be included a plurality of timesin a serial communication received by the judgment logic 130 andcorrespondingly the motor driver 105. In other embodiments, it may bedesirable to hold the motor driver 105 in a mode judgment operation, forexample, to prevent and/or avoid the prescribed pattern beinginterpreted as serial communication intended for processing and/orstorage by the motor driver 105. For example, in some embodiments, theprescribed signal may be received by the judgment logic 130 a pluralityof times (e.g., about 20 times) to provide multiple opportunities forthe judgment logic 130 to detect the existence of the prescribed signal.In such embodiments, the method 600 may optionally further compriseoperation 630.

At operation 630, the judgment logic 130 determines whether detection ofthe prescribed signal is ongoing. For example, the judgment logic 130may determine that a periodically (or aperiodically) repeating series ofthe prescribed signal is being received by the judgment logic 130. Insuch embodiments, the judgment logic 130 may remain at operation 630(e.g., in the mode judgment operation) until detection of the prescribedsignal is no longer ongoing (e.g., the judgment logic 130 ceasesreceiving the prescribed signal). When detection is not ongoing, themethod 600 may proceed to operation 635 at which the judgment logic 130determines that mode judgment has ended.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a flowchart of another method 700 for motordriver operation mode judgment in accordance with various embodiments isshown. The method 700 may be implemented, for example, by the judgmentlogic 130 to determine an operation mode (e.g., normal operation mode orsetting operation mode) for the motor driver 105 according to an inputsignal received by the motor driver 105. The operation mode may bedetermined, for example, based on a binary transition in an input signalof the judgment logic 130 occurring, or not occurring, during apredefined period of time.

At operation 705, the judgment logic 130 begins mode judgment. Forexample, in response to receipt of a judgment start signal (e.g., suchas a judgment start signal received from logic circuit 155, as discussedabove). At operation 710, the judgment logic 130 may determine whether asignal at a high binary or logic level is being received by the judgmentlogic 130. When a signal at a high binary or logic level is beingreceived by the judgment logic 130, the method 700 proceeds to operation715. When a signal at a high binary or logic level is not being receivedby the judgment logic 130, the method 700 proceeds to operation 725.

At operation 715, the judgment logic 130 determines whether a predefinedamount of time has elapsed without a negative edge in the signal (e.g.,a predefined amount of time has elapsed without the signal changing fromthe high binary or logic level to a low binary or logic level). When thepredefined amount of time has not elapsed without a negative edge in thesignal (e.g., a negative edge in the signal occurring during thepredefined amount of time), the method 700 proceeds to operation 720. Atoperation 720, the judgment logic 130 determines whether a negative edgehas occurred in the signal. When a negative edge has not occurred in thesignal, the method 700 returns to operation 715. When a negative edgehas occurred in the signal, the method 700 proceeds to operation 725. Atoperation 725, the judgment logic 130 determines that the prescribedpattern has not been detected and proceeds to operation 740.

Returning now to operation 715, when the predefined amount of time haselapsed without a negative edge in the signal, the method 700 proceedsto operation 730. At operation 730, the judgment logic 130 determinesthat the prescribed pattern has been detected. In some embodiments, themethod 700 may optionally further comprise operation 735. In suchembodiments, the method 700 may proceed from operation 730 to operation735. At operation 735, the judgment logic 130 determines whether anegative edge has occurred in the signal. When a negative edge has notoccurred in the signal, the method 700 returns to operation 735. When anegative edge has occurred in the signal, the method 700 proceeds tooperation 740. At operation 740, the judgment logic 130 determines thatmode judgment has ended.

Turning now to FIG. 8, a flowchart of another method 800 for motordriver operation mode judgment in accordance with various embodiments isshown. The method 800 may be implemented, for example, by the judgmentlogic 130 to determine an operation mode (e.g., normal operation mode orsetting operation mode) for the motor driver 105 according to an inputsignal received by the motor driver 105. The operation mode may bedetermined, for example, based on a binary transition in an input signalof the judgment logic 130 occurring, or not occurring, during apredefined period of time.

At operation 805, the judgment logic 130 begins mode judgment. Forexample, in response to receipt of a judgment start signal (e.g., suchas a judgment start signal received from logic circuit 155, as discussedabove). At operation 810, the judgment logic 130 may determine whether atimeout condition has been met. The timeout condition may indicate, forexample, that an elapsed amount of time since beginning the modejudgment at operation 805 has exceeded the predetermined time fordetermining whether the prescribed signal is present. When the timeoutcondition has not been met, the method 800 proceeds to operation 815.When the timeout condition has been met, the method 800 proceeds tooperation 845. At operation 845, the judgment logic 130 determines thatthe prescribed pattern has not been detected and proceeds to operation850.

Returning to operation 815, the judgment logic 130 may determine whethera signal at a high binary or logic level is being received by thejudgment logic 130. When a signal at a high binary or logic level isbeing received by the judgment logic 130, the method 800 proceeds tooperation 820. When a signal at a high binary or logic level is notbeing received by the judgment logic 130, the method 800 returns tooperation 810.

At operation 820, the judgment logic 130 may determine whether thetimeout condition (e.g., as discussed with respect to operation 810) hasbeen met. When the timeout condition has not been met, the method 800proceeds to operation 825. When the timeout condition has been met, themethod 800 proceeds to operation 845. At operation 825, the judgmentlogic 130 determines whether a predefined amount of time has elapsedwithout a negative edge in the signal (e.g., a predefined amount of timehas elapsed without the signal changing from the high binary or logiclevel to a low binary or logic level). When the predefined amount oftime has not elapsed without a negative edge in the signal (e.g., anegative edge in the signal occurring during the predefined amount oftime), the method 800 proceeds to operation 830. At operation 830, thejudgment logic 130 determines whether a negative edge has occurred inthe signal. When a negative edge has not occurred in the signal, themethod 800 returns to operation 820. When a negative edge has occurredin the signal, the method 800 returns to operation 810.

Returning now to operation 825, when the predefined amount of time haselapsed without a negative edge in the signal, the method 800 proceedsto operation 835. At operation 835, the judgment logic 130 determinesthat the prescribed pattern has been detected and proceeds to operation840. At operation 840, the judgment logic 130 may determine whether anegative edge has occurred in the signal. When a negative edge has notoccurred in the signal, the method 800 returns to operation 840. When anegative edge has occurred in the signal, the method 800 proceeds tooperation 850. At operation 850, the judgment logic 130 determines thatmode judgment has ended.

Turning now to FIG. 9, a flowchart of another method 900 for motordriver operation mode judgment in accordance with various embodiments isshown. The method 900 may be implemented, for example, by the judgmentlogic 130 to determine an operation mode (e.g., normal operation mode orsetting operation mode) for the motor driver 105 according to an inputsignal received by the motor driver 105. The operation mode may bedetermined, for example, based on a plurality of binary transitions inan input signal of the judgment logic 130 occurring, or not occurring,during a predefined period of time.

At operation 905, the judgment logic 130 begins mode judgment. Forexample, in response to receipt of a judgment start signal (e.g., suchas a judgment start signal received from logic circuit 155, as discussedabove). At operation 910, the judgment logic 130 may determine whether atimeout condition has been met. The timeout condition may indicate, forexample, that an elapsed amount of time since beginning the modejudgment at operation 905 has exceeded the predetermined time fordetermining whether the prescribed signal is present. When the timeoutcondition has not been met, the method 900 proceeds to operation 915.When the timeout condition has been met, the method 900 proceeds tooperation 935. At operation 935, the judgment logic 130 determines thatthe prescribed pattern has not been detected and proceeds to operation940.

Returning to operation 915, the judgment logic 130 may determine whethera negative edge has occurred in the input signal. When a negative edgehas not occurred in the input signal, the method 900 returns tooperation 910. When a negative edge has occurred in the input signal,the method 900 proceeds to operation 920. At operation 920, the judgmentlogic 130 determines whether a plurality of negative edges in the inputsignal exceeding a threshold number of negative edges have occurred. Thethreshold may be any number of negative edges chosen for defining theprescribed signal and a number of negative edges in the input signalincluded in the threshold is not limited herein. When the number ofnegative edges exceeding the threshold have occurred in the inputsignal, the method 900 proceeds to operation 925. When the number ofnegative edges that have occurred in the input signal has not exceededthe threshold, the method 900 returns to operation 910.

At operation 925, the judgment logic 130 determines that the prescribedpattern has been detected and proceeds to operation 930. At operation930, the judgment logic 130 may determine whether the timeout condition(e.g., as discussed with respect to operation 910) has been met. Whenthe timeout condition has not been met, the method 900 remains atoperation 930. When the timeout condition has been met, the method 900proceeds to operation 940. At operation 940, the judgment logic 130determines that mode judgment has ended.

Turning now to FIG. 10, a flowchart of another method 1000 for motordriver operation mode judgment in accordance with various embodiments isshown. The method 1000 may be implemented, for example, by the judgmentlogic 130 to determine an operation mode (e.g., normal operation mode orsetting operation mode) for the motor driver 105 according to an inputsignal received by the motor driver 105. The operation mode may bedetermined, for example, based on a plurality of binary transitions inan input signal of the judgment logic 130 occurring, or not occurring,during a predefined period of time.

At operation 1005, the judgment logic 130 begins mode judgment. Forexample, in response to receipt of a judgment start signal (e.g., suchas a judgment start signal received from logic circuit 155, as discussedabove). At operation 1010, the judgment logic 130 determines whether apredefined amount of time has elapsed without a positive edge in thesignal (e.g., a predefined amount of time has elapsed without the signalchanging from the low binary or logic level to a high binary or logiclevel). When the predefined amount of time has not elapsed without apositive edge in the signal (e.g., a positive edge in the signaloccurring during the predefined amount of time), the method 1000proceeds to operation 1015. When the predefined amount of time haselapsed without a positive edge in the signal, the method 1000 proceedsto operation 1012. At operation 1012, the judgment logic 130 determinesthat the prescribed pattern has not been detected and proceeds tooperation 1040. Returning now to operation 1015, the judgment logic 130determines whether a positive edge has occurred in the signal. When apositive edge has not occurred in the signal, the method 1000 returns tooperation 1010. When a positive edge has occurred in the signal, themethod 1000 proceeds to operation 1020.

At operation 1020, the judgment logic 130 determines whether a pluralityof positive edges in the input signal exceeding a threshold number ofpositive edges have occurred. The threshold may be any number ofpositive edges chosen for defining the prescribed signal and a number ofpositive edges in the input signal included in the threshold is notlimited herein. When the number of positive edges exceeding thethreshold have occurred in the input signal, the method 1000 proceeds tooperation 1025. When the number of positive edges that have occurred inthe input signal has not exceeded the threshold, the method 1000 returnsto operation 1010. At operation 1025, the judgment logic 130 determinesthat the prescribed pattern has been detected and proceeds to operation1030.

At operation 1030, the judgment logic 130 determines whether apredefined amount of time has elapsed without a positive edge in thesignal (e.g., a predefined amount of time has elapsed without the signalchanging from the low binary or logic level to a high binary or logiclevel). When the predefined amount of time has not elapsed without apositive edge in the signal (e.g., a positive edge in the signaloccurring during the predefined amount of time), the method 1000 remainsat operation 1030. When the predefined amount of time has elapsedwithout a positive edge in the signal, the method 1000 proceeds tooperation 1035.

At operation 1035, the judgment logic 130 may determine whether an inputsignal at a low binary or logic level is being received by the judgmentlogic 130. When an input signal at a low binary or logic level is beingreceived by the judgment logic 130, the method 1000 proceeds tooperation 1040. When a signal at a low binary or logic level is notbeing received by the judgment logic 130, the method 1000 remains atoperation 1035. At operation 1040, the judgment logic 130 determinesthat mode judgment has ended.

Numerous other variations and modifications will become apparent tothose skilled in the art once the above disclosure and the attachedappendix are fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claimsbe interpreted to embrace all such variations, modifications andequivalents. Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to meaneither an indirect or direct wired or wireless connection. Thus, if afirst device couples to a second device, that connection may be througha direct connection or through an indirect connection via otherintervening devices and/or connections. Unless otherwise stated,“approximately,” “substantially,” and “about” mean +/−10 percent of thestated value or of a reference value. In addition, the term “or” shouldbe interpreted in an inclusive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A motor driver, comprising: a multipurpose pinoperable to couple the motor driver to a controller; and judgment logiccoupled to the multipurpose pin, wherein the motor driver is operable toreceive an input signal via the multipurpose pin, wherein the motordriver is operable in a normal operation mode or a setting operationmode, and wherein the judgment logic is operable to: detect whether aprescribed pattern is present in the input signal, wherein theprescribed pattern indicates one of the normal operation mode or thesetting operation mode; control at least a portion of the motor driverto operate in the setting operation mode when the prescribed pattern isdetected in the input signal; and control at least the portion of themotor driver to operate in the normal operation mode when the prescribedpattern is not detected in the input signal.
 2. The motor driver ofclaim 1, wherein the judgment logic comprises: an edge detector; a timercircuit; a period counter coupled to the edge detector; an edgefrequency counter coupled to the edge detector; a pattern detectorcoupled to the edge detector, the timer circuit, the period counter, andthe edge frequency counter; and a signal generator coupled to thepattern detector.
 3. The motor driver of claim 2, wherein the patterndetector is operable to detect whether the prescribed pattern is presentin the input signal according to an input of at least one of the edgedetector, the period counter, or the edge frequency counter.
 4. Themotor driver of claim 1, further comprising: an interface coupled to thejudgment logic and the multipurpose pin; a logic circuit coupled to amemory, the judgment logic, and the interface; and a frequency generator(FG) logic circuit coupled to the logic circuit, the judgment logic, andthe multipurpose pin, wherein the motor driver is operable to transmitan output of the FG logic circuit via the multipurpose pin while in thenormal operation mode.
 5. The motor driver of claim 4, wherein theinterface comprises a trial driving signal generator, and wherein thetrial driving signal generator is operable to generate a signal at leastpartially for use by the motor driver in driving a motor when the motordriver is operating in the setting operation mode.
 6. The motor driverof claim 5, wherein the logic circuit comprises an enable signalcontroller and a conventional driving signal generator, wherein theenable signal controller is coupled to the trial driving signalgenerator and the conventional driving signal generator, and wherein theenable signal controller is operable to generate a signal for use indriving the motor at least partially according to input received fromthe trial driving signal generator and the conventional driving signalgenerator.
 7. The motor driver of claim 4, wherein the judgment logic isoperable to transmit a setting mode enable signal to the interface whenoperating in the setting operation mode to cause the interface to beoperable to transmit received data to a memory for storage.
 8. A system,comprising: a motor driver operable to couple to a motor and drive themotor; and a controller coupled to the motor driver and operable tocontrol the motor driver, wherein the motor driver comprises amultipurpose pin, wherein the motor driver is operable to receive inputfrom the controller via the multipurpose pin during a setting operationmode of the motor driver, and wherein the motor driver is operable tooutput a frequency generator (FG) signal to the controller via themultipurpose pin during a normal operation mode of the motor driver. 9.The system of claim 8, wherein the motor driver comprises judgmentlogic, and wherein the judgment logic is operable to determine whetherthe motor driver is operating in the setting operation mode or thenormal operation mode.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the motordriver is operable to receive serial data input from the controller viathe multipurpose pin, wherein the judgment logic is operable todetermine that the serial data includes a prescribed signal, and whereinthe judgment logic is operable to control the motor driver to operate inthe setting operation mode when the serial data includes the prescribedsignal.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the judgment logic beingoperable to control the motor driver to operate in the setting operationmode comprises the judgment logic being operable to generate a settingmode enable signal, wherein the motor driver further comprises aninterface coupled to the multipurpose pin, the judgment logic, and amemory, and wherein the interface is operable to, upon receipt of thesetting mode enable signal from the judgment logic, transmit datareceived at the multipurpose pin to the memory for storage.
 12. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the judgment logic is operable to perform amode judgment operation, and wherein the judgment logic is operable toperform the mode judgment operation until a timeout condition is met orthe judgment logic ceases receiving the prescribed signal.
 13. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the motor driver is operable to receiveserial data input from the controller via the multipurpose pin, whereinthe judgment logic is operable to determine that the serial data doesnot include a prescribed signal, and wherein the judgment logic isoperable to control the motor driver to operate in the normal operationmode when the serial data does not include the prescribed signal. 14.The system of claim 8, wherein the multipurpose pin is a FG pin.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the motor driver is operable to output a FGsignal indicating a status of the motor via the FG pin or receivesserial communication data from the controller via the FG pin.
 16. Amethod, comprising: beginning, by judgment logic of a motor driver, modejudgment; determining, by the judgment logic, whether a predeterminedperiod of time for performing mode judgment has occurred; detectingwhether a prescribed signal comprising an indication of an operationmode for the motor driver is included in an input signal received by themotor driver; and determining the operation mode of the motor driveraccording to whether the prescribed signal comprising the indication ofthe operation mode for the motor driver is detected in the input signalreceived by the motor driver.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising selecting between a normal operation mode and a settingoperation mode during the mode judgment according to whether theprescribed signal comprising the indication of the operation mode forthe motor driver is detected in the input signal received by the motordriver.
 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving theinput signal via a frequency generator (FG) pin of the motor driver. 19.The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving the prescribedsignal a plurality of times in the input signal received by the motordriver.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the judgment logic detectsthe presence of the prescribed signal in the input signal received bythe motor driver according to at least one of edge detection, a periodcount, or edge frequency count.